Guitar chord · Barre shape · Standard tuning
B♭ major guitar chord (Bb)
4 fingers, 5 strings, chart notation x13331. Tap the chord chart to hear it strummed, then arpeggio it to check every note is ringing cleanly.
All the strings in one sweep, low to high — how the chord sounds in a song.
- Strings, low to high
- B♭ · F · B♭ · D · F
- Chord tones
- B♭ R · D 3 · F 5
How to play Bb
Finger numbers run 1 for the index to 4 for the little finger. String names are given as players say them — the low E is the thickest string (the 6th) and the high E is the thinnest (the 1st).
- 1st finger (index) — lies flat across the 1st fret, covering 5 strings, from the A string up to the high E string
- 2nd finger (middle) — 3rd fret, D string
- 3rd finger (ring) — 3rd fret, G string
- 4th finger (little) — 3rd fret, B string
- Leave out: low E (6th) — start the strum below it, or damp it with the side of the thumb.
- Barre: 1st fret, strings 5 down to 1. Place the other fingers first and add the barre last.
| String | Fret | Finger | Note it sounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6th — low E | Not played | — | × |
| 5th — A | 1st fret | 1 (index) | B♭ |
| 4th — D | 3rd fret | 2 (middle) | F |
| 3rd — G | 3rd fret | 3 (ring) | B♭ |
| 2nd — B | 3rd fret | 4 (little) | D |
| 1st — high E | 1st fret | 1 (index) | F |
Notes and intervals in Bb
Bb is built from 3 notes: B♭, D and F.
- B♭ — the root (R)
- D — the major 3rd (3)
- F — the perfect 5th (5)
Across the six strings the shape sounds B♭ · F · B♭ · D · F from low to high, so some notes are doubled in different octaves — that is what gives an open guitar chord its width compared with the same chord on a keyboard.
What Bb is used for
B♭ is the band's home key — concert B♭ — and the IV chord in F, the V in E♭. On guitar it is the A-major shape barred at the 1st fret: index across the strings from the A string up, the other three fingers on the 3rd fret. Slide the same shape up two frets and it becomes C.
Common mistakes with Bb
- Strumming the low E string. The root is on the 5th string, so start the strum on the A string or rest the tip of the index finger against the 6th to mute it.
- Three fingers fighting for one fret. If 2-3-4 will not fit, flatten the ring finger across the D, G and B strings instead — and lift its tip slightly so the high E still rings.
- A barre that only holds two strings. The index has to press the A string and the high E; the strings in between are covered by the other fingers, so aim the pressure at the ends.
Guitar chord data last updated . Every diagram here, in the printable PDF and in the chart image comes from one dataset, so the paper and the screen cannot disagree.